Macquarie Island: Introduction

In their own words

We stood on the beach in the dusk, watching the boat's party struggle back to Aurora, which lay at anchor one and a half miles from the north-west shore. Having received a soaking landing in the surf and being tired out with the exertions of the day, we started back to our temporary shelter. We had not gone very far when a mysterious sound, followed by a shaking of the earth, made us glance at each other and exclaim, "An earthquake!" The occurrence gave rise to a discussion which carried us to bed.

– GF Ainsworth in The Home of the Blizzard

This is how George Ainsworth, Harold Hamilton, Leslie Blake, Charles Sandell and Arthur Sawyer were introduced to Macquarie Island, their home from December 1911 to November 1913 — 23 months. "Left on an island in mid-ocean!" So exclaimed Ainsworth in his introductory chapter, Life on Macquarie Island in Home of the Blizzard.